In some types of wireless networks, a Map may typically be used to allocate uplink (UL) and/or downlink (DL) resources to mobile stations (MS) (or subscriber stations). For example, a Map Information Element (Map IE) may be sent by a base station (BS) or other infrastructure node that specifies a location (e.g., symbol offset) and length of the resource allocation that is assigned to a MS or connection for a subsequent frame. In this manner, a BS may transmit a Map IE to allocate a burst or group of symbols to a MS for a frame. If resources are to be allocated for multiple frames, then the BS would typically transmit a Map IE for each frame for which resources will be allocated.
However, some types of applications, such as periodic traffic applications, may transmit or receive a substantially predictable amount of traffic over a recurring interval or period of time (but possibly with some amount of variation). For example, a Voice Over IP (Internet Protocol) application or device may generate and/or receive a substantially predictable amount of traffic every 20 ms. To more efficiently allocate a periodically recurring resource to such a device or application (for example), it has been recently proposed to provide a persistent resource allocation. With a persistent allocation, a BS may assign or allocate the persistent resource, which may provide the resource (e.g., a burst size or specified number of symbols) at a recurring period, such as by providing a resource every frame, every 4 frames, etc. This persistent allocation may continue until the BS sends another IE to deallocate the persistent resource. However, in some cases, a persistent resource allocation may waste resources if the resource goes unused, e.g., during VOIP silence periods. It may be desirable to provide a more flexible approach for the use of persistent resource allocations.